Sleep is not a voluntary act and we are at the mercy of our brain which has to slow down its electrical activity in order to take us from one phase to another until the next morning.
It is during the slow, deep deep sleep that we rest physically. During the paradoxical or REM phase of sleep we recuperate mentally. The phases only need to be shortened in length or intensity for the sleep to be less regenerative. We cannot issue our brains with orders but we can look after the brain by nourishing it, removing negative or draining thought, relieving unnecessary tension and administering natural remedies that don't disturb its activity.
You can take these methods on board and make them part of your daily life in order to avoid disturbed sleep or help cure it. It is never too late for action.
Filed under Insomnia by 
Sleep is made up of successive phases that follow a set of pattern. When we fall asleep, our brain waves gradually slow down. This state lasts between 2 and 30 minutes, according to the individual. We then fall into a phase of light sleep during which our body relaxes. A slow sleep phase follows which gives way after around 20 minutes to deep sleep and then very deep or profound sleep.
Then comes the paradoxical phase, during which brain activity is just as important as it is during waking hours despite the fact that the body is totally inert except forREM (Rapid Eye Movement). It is during this phase that we dream.
The cycle lasts between one and a half to two hours. We then wake up for a few seconds, falling straight back to sleep before a new cycle begins, without having the least awareness of this process.
Filed under Insomnia by